Lots of good information here on the on the variable cost of remote/wilderness living
I have a serious question for those whom choose to live in the remote wilderness, yet spend so much to live there. Why? :confused1:
Why do you need a well/running water, septic system, house building kit flown in, grid electricity, creature comforts (as city people call them)? :confused1: If your hep on having electricity there is solar (photovoltaic) or windmill (turbine) electricity.
When I first ventured out I had a Yurt that I bought used for $1,000 (still have it). I now use it as a base for my survival/primitive living courses. 50# of salt pork, potatoes, and powdered milk. 25# each of organic flour, rice, beans, and sugar. 10# of cinnamon, vanilla beans, cumin, raw garlic, garlic powder, and paprika. I also had 1 hen and 1 rooster, and various bundles of fresh herbs that I dried.
I had all of my tools (axe, auger bits, chisels, etc.) for building my shelter, as well as, my clothing, bedding, and various other in-sundries. . . .Everything I needed to live.
All told, and this is building up my supplies (other than food) over a 10 year period, I had spent about $5,200.
Now I do a lot of trading when I go to town. Don't spend nor need a lot of cash. The most expense I have is my sat. phone, which I use for my internet connection. Going to change that this coming March, so that expense will be cut by about 70%.
I have an outhouse (dug a 10'd x 5'l x 4'w) pit. Still a long way from being filled. That's my septic. I get my water from the river or falls, hunt & fish for my meat, etc.
I figure, if I'm going to live in mother Nature's livingroom, I'm going to use what she has to offer to live there. Not have it MANufactured in the city and bring it into her abode. I guess that's just me?! :confused1:
Anyway, you can live cheaply, if you choose, in the remote wilderness. It's just up to you how many "creature comforts" you need!
This has been a very interesting thread for me.
Sunday we're (the wife doesn't know yet) going to look at 17 acres of get-a-way ground. Twenty miles to work, thirty minutes drive time. Mostly blufftop over-looking the Mississippi river valley. Mostly wooded, I'm guessing 3 acres of fields. Gravel driveway already in place to the top after that it's dirt. Less than 100 yards to add gravel to the potential building site. This will be a long term project, finish gravel driveway, dig well so we can camp out on the weekends, add electricity then someday build the home. I don't care if it takes me ten or more years till I live there, just owning it will improve my quality of life.
Now on a side note, for all the do-it-yourselfers: Buy a sawmill and build your own house. You can take a class on timberframing to build the basic structure frame (that's what I'm going to do). Here's a website: http://tfguild.org/ Here's a website for timberframing classes: http://www.foxmaple.com/workshops.htmlWhen you're done either sell the sawmill or provide sawyer services to the locals. But you now have a skill that others will pay for (timberframing). Subscribe to Mother Earth News for alternative (sometimes free) ways of insulating the structure. There are several articles on the net for making your own solar panels and/or wind generators. If your build site includes a south face orientation passive solar heat goes a long way. We spent two winters in New Hampshire in a passive solar heated home. If the sun was out the house would be 71 degrees with no other heat source, outside temperature didn't matter. When the sun went down there was a small wood stove that kept the house comfy all night with one load of wood just before bed time. We used two cords of wood for the typical New Hampshire winter in this passive solar heated house, the neighbors used seven cords and ran out before warm weather. Their house wasn't passive solar.
